What Just Happened
by ImNotAPsychopath
Summary: Allie and Kyla are just two (seemingly) normal girls who just won the Avengers Science Contest. Now, they get to go meet the Avengers. Their lives will never be the same. Complete. Short stories to soon follow. Clintasha and very slight mentions of Frostiron. Written with my partner in crime, TheBustyBarmaid
1. What Just Happened?

"Kyla! Kyla, we won!" Allie ran up to her friend and hugged her tightly, letter in hand.

Kyla blinked up from her comics. "Won what?"

"THE AVENGERS CONTEST!" She squealed.

Kyla's eyes widened. "We did?!"

"I just got the letter!"

Kyla screamed before hopping up and down. "WE WON!"

"I know. right?!"

"WE'RE GOING TO MEET THE AVENGERS! WE'RE GOING TO MEET TONY!"

"Uh, huh! I want to meet Captain America. He's so cool!"

Kyla scrunched up her nose as she stopped hopping up and down. "Ew."

"Got you! I really want to meet Dr. Banner. He's the really awesome one."

"Can't you just call him Bruce?"

"No! That's disrespectful."

"Dude, seriously? I'm going to end up calling him Brucey."

"Don't do that!"

"I'm definitely doing that."

"Then I'll call your Tony, Mr. Stark the entire time." She crossed her arms.

"Fine. I don't care what you do." Kyla shrugged and Allie stuck out her tongue. "So when do they come and get us?" Kyla inquired.

"Now actually." A voice sounded and both of the girls swiveled around to search for the source. Allie squealed and gripped Kyla's wrist in surprise.

Kyla stood in defensive stance, standing in front of Allie protectively. "Who's there?!" She snarled. Allie shrunk a little behind her and looked around.

The voice chuckled. "Aw, I'm hurt. Don't recognize an Avenger when you see one?" Clint appeared in front of Kyla and winked.

Kyla blinked. "Prove it." She said slowly.

Clint stared at her for a moment before laughing. "Alright, alright." He held up his hands and backed up one step before holding out a badge.

"That proves nothing." Kyla raised an eyebrow.

"Not really anyway. Since no one officially knows who you work for, how can we be able to recognize the authenticity of that badge." Allie added.

"What if I came too?" Nick Fury appeared.

"And me." Coulson emerged from a dark corner. "Sorry about the whole cliche thing. I couldn't help myself." He looked back. "I think there's a light out there or something."

Allie tugged on Kyla's sleeve. "Ky, what just happened to my life?" She looked around dazed.

"It got really cool." Kyla grinned.

"Woah."

"Totally."

Kyla's eyes widened as she took on the sight of the Tower. "Holy shit."

Allie's eyes got really round and she held onto her friends sleeve. "I recognize your holy shit and I raise it to a holy shittin cow."

Kyla pouted. "No fair. You can't cuss. You never cuss. You can't just start now."

"Take as a sign of how amazed I am. And besides, that wasn't _bad_, necessarily." Kyla rolled her eyes before going through the doors.

"Hello." A redhead greeted.

"Pepper." Kyla nodded.

"That's me." She smiled. "Are you Allie?"

Kyla snorted. "No. I'm Kyla."

Allie pushed her a little. "Ky, be nice to the lady. I'm Allie."

"But-" Kyla protested.

"Be nice, please?" She whispered in her ear. "I'm not going to care if you're mean to Tony later. Just be nice to one of my idols, please?"

"I'm not going to be mean to Tony!" Kyla snorted. "I'm going to be mean to the person who kept him from his true love!"

Allie poked her in the side. "Don't care. They broke up didn't they?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Pepper! Are our guests here?" Dr. Bruce Banner walked up behind her. "Sorry I couldn't be part of the gang to pick you up, but I had a delicate experiment in the works." He smiled. "I'm Doctor Bruce Banner, or better known as the Hulk." Allies jaw dropped and she seemed a little tongue tied.

"Brucey!" Kyla grinned before running over to hug him tightly.

"Kyla!" Allie was mortified by her friend's behavior.

Bruce just patted her back awkwardly. "Uh, hello there."

Kyla grinned up at Bruce. "Hi. I'm Kyla. You can call me Ky."

"Uh, hi." Allie buried her face in her hands, completely embarrassed.

"And that's Allie. She's my best friend."

Allie, waved a little. "I'm so sorry."

Bruce extracted himself. "No trouble. I'm used to it."

Kyla pouted a bit before looking around behind Bruce. "So, is everyone else upstairs? Or is Tony in the lab, Clint and Natasha in the vents, and Thor in the T.V. room?"

"I don't really know, in fact." Allie went to stand behind Ky again.

"Well, is Tony at least in the lab? Are you going to the lab? Can I come? What are you experimenting on? Are you making new life? Are you going to blow something up?" Kyla peppered Bruce with questions.

"Shush, Ky. Let the poor man speak." Allie sighed and Kyla stared at Bruce expectantly.

"Umm, I just came to say hi. I really have to get back to my lab." He looked around and waved Clint over. "He'll take care of you now.

Kyla pouted. "But, Brucey, I wanna come with."

"It's not really safe… I'm sure I'll see you later." With that, Bruce escaped.

Kyla pouted again. "I don't care."

"Ky, just play nice. I want to go too, but we still have people meet! And Mr. Stark hasn't come back."

"I thought he was in the lab!"

"You said that Ky, not him." She rolled her eyes.

"But I want to-"

"What's going on?" Steve appeared and Kyla rolled her eyes.

"We're showing our contest winners around, Cap." Pepper smiled.

"Wow." The relatively short Allie looked up at him. "He's really tall."

"Not that tall." Kyla muttered under her breath.

"You're still taller than me…" Allie pouted.

"So?"

"By relative standards he wouldn't seem as tall as you."

"That doesn't mean he's tall. Tall would be Thor-"

"SOMEONE SAID MY NAME?!"

"Eep." Allie twisted the sleeve she held tightly in her hand.

Kyla rolled her eyes and tugged Allie behind her. "Hi, Thor." She smiled.

"HELLO, YOUNG LADY!"

"You just had to say his name, didn't you?" Allie looked up at him in awe.

"Sorry?"

Allie faced Thor. "Um hello." She smiled nervously.

"HELLO, LITTLE LADY!"

"Eep." She shrunk a little but stood firm. "How are you?"

"I AM WELL. AND YOU?"

"Elated." She smiled a bit more. "Excited to be here."

"GOOD." He turned to Kyla. "AND YOU?"

"Dandy." Kyla grinned. Allie smiled as well, getting a little more comfortable. "So . . . What first?" Allie looked up, curious.

"Well . . ." Steve looked around.

"What the hell? I leave for a conference for an hour, and you let my Tower be overtaken by teenage girls?" Tony appeared, scowling.

"Tony!" Kyla beamed before hugging him.

"Uh . . . Is this legal?" Tony blinked down at Kyla. Allie started giggling.

"Yes. She's from the contest so you can touch her in a way that's acceptable to society." Pepper rolled her eyes.

"I'm good with that." Tony grinned and hugged back.

"To be fair, Mr. Stark. We haven't gotten past this room." Allie spoke up softly.

"What she said." Kyla grinned.

"Why didn't you say so?! To the labs!" Tony grinned before grabbing Kyla's hand, who in turn, grabbed Allie's, who squeaked in surprise.

"Tony, you can't! It's too dangerous!" Pepper protested.

"That's why I have Brucey!" Tony winked.

"ANTHONY EDWARD STARK!" A voice screamed. Allie looked around, startled.

"Oh shit." Tony paled.

"Oh, dear." Steve sighed.

"What did you do now?" Pepper looked at Tony sternly.

"Nothing!"

"I'm sure he'd be able to tell me if you lied or not."

"I swear-" Tony started. Allie caught sight of someone walking toward them, and moved a little closer to Kyla.

Kyla grinned. "No. Way."

Loki glared daggers at Tony. "You, are in very big trouble."

"What did I do now?!" Tony asked. Allie looked between the two, unsure of what was going on while Kyla just beamed. Allie tugged on her hand as a silent way of telling her to be polite and watch.

"I so called it." Kyla whispered. "You so owe me."

"I found the contest in the first place!" She whispered back.

"Yeah, but I told you Frostiron was real."

Allie blushed furiously and smacked her friend on the arm. "Shh!"

"Ow!" Kyla protested and pouted. Allie looked back the the bickering heroes.

"Who are these children?" Loki asked suddenly.

"Um, hi. We're the ones who won the science contest to meet the Avengers." Allie mumbled at the floor, shaking slightly in her boots.

"Hi, Lokes!" Kyla grinned.

Loki raised an eyebrow. "How did you know about that nickname?"

"I'm just awesome like that." Kyla winked.

"Ky, I don't understand you sometimes." Allie shook her head.

"No one does." Kyla grinned. Allie sighed.

Tony raised an eyebrow. "So . . . How'd you know about Loki and I? I haven't even announced it to the press yet."

"And that," Loki hissed. "Is my problem with you."

"I'm just that good." Kyla brushed off her nails. Allie just looked at her friend with a strange, but subdued look on her face. Kyla looked over to Tony. "So . . . you just going to ditch your science bro?" Allie facepalmed. "What?! It's a legit question!" Allie sighed. "It is!" Allie just made a shooing motion with her hand before burying her face in her hands. Kyla glared before going over to the couch and sitting with a huff.

"She's just like you." Loki observed to Tony who glared at him before going over to join Kyla. Allie followed Ky and stood next to her but didn't sit down. Loki followed and soon after, so did the rest of the Avengers, sans Bruce. Allie looked around nervously, unsure of what to do next.

Bruce came upstairs. "Can I have some help?" Allie looked up at him. He looked at Tony, Kyla, and Allie desperately.

Kyla and Tony shrugged at the same time. "Sure." Allie grinned widely, by her standards, and stepped around the couch.

Bruce relaxed a little. "Thanks."

"No prob."

Allie walked over to him shyly. "So what do you need help with?" She asked quietly.

"Just writing some stuff down, really."

"Cool." Allie smiled a little. Kyla rolled her eyes and shoved Allie against Bruce, who caught her. She blushed and removed herself before glaring at Ky.

"Ah, if you would just follow me. Please." Bruce headed back down. Kyla smiled innocently before jumping on Tony's back. The billionaire shrugged and allowed it while Kyla also played with Loki's hair. The god raised an eyebrow but didn't seem to mind either. Allie just looked away, embarrassed.

"So . . ." Clint appeared behind Allie. "You're Bruce and she's Tony then?"

"What?!" She squeaked and jumped away.

"You're the Bruce to her Tony."

"Um, I wouldn't really know." She nodded a little and looked at the ground.

"But you totally are."

"Um, okay?"

"Totally." Clint grinned and Allie hummed, unsure of what else to do.

"Al." Kyla sang.

"Yeah?" Allie looked up to Ky.

"You helping?"

Allie gave her an incredulous look. "Of course!"

"Making sure. Since you're being lame."

"Hey!"

"Well, you are!" Kyla huffed and Allie pouted a little.

"So, how are they helping, exactly?" Loki inquired.

Bruce shrugged. "They're here because of a science contest. They might learn something."

"Or we could get them killed." Clint muttered under his breath, causing Nat to smack him upside the head.

"Oh, please." Allie muttered, rolling her eyes. "You can't be any worse than the people back home." She said low enough that hopefully nobody heard it, she didn't need to be worrying superheroes that have better things to do, even if they had differences of their own.

"We have death wishes at home." Kyla grinned.

Allie grinned, grateful for the cover, even if nobody heard her. "Being a science nerd and her accomplice will do that to a girl."

"Which one is the accomplice?" Clint inquired.

She pointed to Ky, who was still on Tony's back. "That one." She said softly with a smile. "We like to blow stuff up so she can see the pretty fire and I get to figure out why. We did the contest together. I did the science bit and she changed it into readable English."

"I am not the accomplice!" Kyla snapped.

"If you write the paper, then you're the accomplice, darling." Loki murmured and Kyla pouted.

Allie smiled at her friend. "Look at the positive side here, Ky."

"There's a positive side?" Kyla grumbled.

"You get to see stuff blow up." She paused, a small evil grin on her face. "And Loki just called you darling."

"Hey!" Tony protested and Loki rolled his eyes.

"True." Kyla grinned before tackling Tony and Loki in a hug. "You guys should adopt me."

"Is that legal?" Clint raised an eyebrow.

"Technically, yes." Nat smirked. Allie looked at the ground, not letting herself get her hopes up. Getting away from her parents and the bullies would be nice. These people were _superheroes._ They didn't have time for an abused girl with a knack for science.

Tony looked at Loki. "I don't mind."

Allie needed a moment. "Um, can someone direct me to the nearest bathroom?" Nat pointed the way and Allie scurried off in that direction, hoping to get out of sight before the tears came.

Kyla rolled her eyes. "I'll make sure she's okay." She hopped off of Tony's back and raced off in the same direction. Allie managed to get the door lock before she started crying. She did her best to stay as quiet as she could so no one would hear. A quiet knock sounded a few seconds later. "Yo. I know you're in there and I know you're crying so let me in." Kyla's voice was muffled by the door. Allie reached up and unlocked it, moving out of the way. Kyla opened it and went in. "You okay?"

She wiped at her eyes and gave a watery smile. "I think so."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," She stood. "Just became a little much."

"You'll be okay." Kyla hugged Allie tightly.

She hugged back just as tightly. "Why'd you ask them to adopt you?"

"Because you know I hate my parents."

"At least yours don't hurt you." She whispered, rubbing at her latest bruise.

Kyla flinched and pulled away. "You don't know what they do." She narrowed her gaze.

"You complain enough." She looked up at her startled. "Have you been protecting me?" She gripped Ky's shoulder with more force than most people knew she had.

Kyla ripped her shoulder out of her grip. "Fine. I won't burden you with my problems then." Kyla hissed.

Allie's face got really surprised, sad, and angry all at the same time before she gripped her friend in a tight hug. "Of course I want you to share. What kind of a friend would I be otherwise? Why?"

"I thought you were the rock thrown at my head!" Kyla shot back, referring to a previous conflict they had.

"I only meant a reality check. I wish you had told me. You've been helping me so much and you didn't let me help you in return. Remember the rest of it. A pillow _and_ a rock." She mumbled into her friend's shoulder.

Kyla didn't accept the hug, but didn't push away either. "I'm supposed to have a heart of diamond, remember?" She mumbled. "A soldier. Like fucking Capsicle."

"Not here and now. We got real superheroes out the door. Who we should be hanging out with instead of hiding in here." She smiled a little.

"I came in here after you."

"First instincts stink."

"That's true."

"I'm going to wash my face, then I'm going to enjoy my day hanging out with superheroes." She let Ky go and moved to the sink.

"Whatever." Kyla muttered and exited. Allie splashed water on her face and wiped it dry and left. Kyla was in the doorway, staring up in shock.

"Bruce, get back here!"

"Tony, that's the Hulk!"

"And the Hulk is part of Bruce, Capsicle!" Tony snapped. Allie's eyes widened as she stared in shock, too stunned to move.

"HULK PROTECT PUNY HUMANS!"

Kyla grinned. "Cool!"

Allie squeaked as the Hulk picked the both of them up and cradled them to his chest. She grabbed for Ky's hand, unsure of what else to do. Kyla grinned and crawled up to Hulks shoulder. "Onward!" She cheered.

"Anthony, control your miniature being!"

"Brucey, wait for me!" Tony hopped up on his knee and promptly crawled up on his other shoulder. Allie stayed cradled in Hulk's elbow, she was slowly starting to come back to herself and looked up at Hulk's grinning face.

"SMALL HUMAN BETTER NOW?"

"This is awesome!" Kyla grinned.

"This is nothing!"

"What?!" Allie squeaked.

Tony grinned. "Wait until you go on a mission with us!"

"Awesome!"

Allie started up at him in shock, mouth open.

"When do we go?" Kyla bounced on Hulks shoulder excitedly.

"DO NOT WORRY, SMALL ONE. HULK PROTECT." Allie just sat there shaking.

Kyla rolled her eyes. "Allie stays here since she's a scaredy cat."

Allie looked up at them. "I'm okay." Kyla snorted. Allie gave a weak version of her glare to Ky. Kyla rolled her eyes.

"Wait, Tony!" Cap finally spoke up. "What mission? We were just looking at the girls' fi-" Clint clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Girls fi- what?" Tony blinked.

Cap mumbled something into Clint's hand, as Clint shuffled his feet. "We were looking at their files. And Bruce got mad."

"YOU WHAT?!" Tony, Loki, and Thor shrieked at the same time.

Clint shrugged, Cap looked at the floor, and Hulk kept mumbling things to Allie. When the others shrieked, they looked over.

"Our files? We have files?" Allie spoke up softly, looking at them confused.

"What files?" Kyla narrowed her eyes.

"Nothing to invasive. Just school and hospital records." Allie hid her face in her hands. "We didn't like what we found." Clint's face got dark. "Bruce got really mad. Thus, the Hulk."

Kyla glared. "And what did you find?" She whispered. Cap shuffled uncomfortably as Clint sighed.

"Bruce recognized the evidence of abuse. For the both of you. Allie was a little easier but, Bruce… Got a little protective." He looked at the ground.

Kyla flinched. "What abuse did you find out?" She whispered as Allie tried to will herself through a hole in the floor.

"Doc was the only one who saw your files. Fury gave them to him. He locked us out as he changed. All we could figure out is that whatever it was, it was bad."

"Give me the file." Tony growled.

"It was on his computer." Cap shrugged. "You'd be able to access it faster than us." Allie tugged on Ky's pant leg, uncomfortable with the proceedings.

"Well I want it in my hands now!" Tony snapped. Kyla reached down for Allie's hand. Clint passed over the tablet as the Hulk shuffled, causing Ky to fall onto Allie, who squeaked.

Kyla rolled off of her carefully before looking at Tony. "What does it say?" She whispered.

His face grew darker as he read. "Is this what you guys go through every day?" He demanded. Allie refused to respond as the Hulk comforted her. Kyla swallowed and looked away, Loki brushing her hair gently with his fingers. "I'm serious." Allie nodded, crying into the Hulk's shoulder as she hugged him around the neck.

"What's it to you anyway?" Kyla snapped defensively. "After this week, we'll just be a couple of nameless citizens you probably will forget."

Everyone minus the Hulk froze. Tony grinned. _She really is just like me. _"JARVIS! Call Pepper. We have some paperwork to fill out." He turned and sauntered down the hallway.

"Yes, sir." The A.I. replied.

Loki rolled his eyes. "Just like Anthony." He muttered before hugging Kyla while the Hulk hugged Allie protectively. Allie reached out for Ky, not looking up. Clint and Cap noticed and motioned to Loki. Loki nodded and let Kyla go before she grabbed Allie in a protective hug. Hulk set them gently on the ground as they collapsed, Allie was sobbing. Kyla murmured soothing words to her while looking at the other Avengers, challenging them to say anything against it. The males looked away, excepting the Hulk, who didn't understand such things.

"K-Ky, t-the-y kno-ow." She gasped out between sobs.

"They don't know anything!" Kyla snapped. Allie flinched at her tone.

"We know, Kyla." Loki murmured.

Allie looked up at him, strength flickering in her tear filled eyes. "H-how much do you know?"

Loki sighed. "Everything. Mostly because I can sniff your powers a mile away." Cap looked at them, unsure of what was going on. Clint had helped a sleepy Hulk to the Green room for some rest. Allie looked up at Ky for permission to undo her glamour.

Kyla glared at them. "I need proof that we can trust you." Allie looked up at her before looking at him. Cap stared at them with his mouth open. Kyla raised an eyebrow.

Loki sighed. "Very well." He stood back a little ways before murmuring something under his breath. His hands began to glow green and he pointed at a vacated area where Allie and Kyla's parents materialized.

Kyla's eyes widened and she stood in front of Allie. "That's not getting us to trust you!" She hissed.

"Wait." Loki murmured before stepping back to let the rest of the Avengers handle it. Well, Cap, Tony, Clint, and Natasha. Hulk and he stayed back to protect Allie and Kyla.

Allie watched over Ky's shoulder, unsure of what was going on. She looked at it for a moment before whispering in Ky's ear. "It's an illusion."

Kyla narrowed her gaze. "So what was the point of that?!"

Cap was dumbfounded. "I don't know." He looked at Loki as Allie glared at him.

"To test their powers." Loki shrugged.

Allie glared at him, "I don't appreciate that." Her voice was cold and soft.

"Neither do I." Kyla's was the opposite. Firey and rough. Cap lifted his hands in surrender, an amusing look on his face. "What's with the face?" Kyla hissed.

Allie hid her face in Ky's shoulder, smiling. "I don't know, but it's funny." Kyla curled her lip in irritation.

"Now she looks like you, babe!" Tony grinned and Loki rolled his eyes. Allie hissed in surprise, not having seen him come in.

Kyla rolled her eyes before glaring at all of them. "And?"

Cap looked at them lost. Then Clint walked in and glanced at all of them. "Well, who frightened them?" He asked, semi-glaring at the others.

"THEIR PARENTS!" Thor answered.

"Woah there, big guy. Their parents? The live halfway across the country."

"YES, BUT THE THREAT OF THEM COMING BACK FRIGHTEN THEM! THE THREAT OF THEM HURTING THEM FURTHER!"

He looked at them concerned, them on the floor, Allie clinging to Ky's back. She seemed a little different, though. "You guys okay?"

"What do you think?!" Kyla snapped. Allie whined, not looking up.

"Sorry, just trying to make sure."

"Make sure of what?! You don't even care!"

Clint looked at them speechless. Allie watched him and said, "You broke him, Ky. He doesn't know what to say."

"Good!" Kyla snapped. "I don't want to hear it!"

"_Should we trust them? They are the Avengers after all. And Tony came back with papers. He seems really excited."_

"_I don't fucking know. They have yet to show me any proof."_

"_Can I put my glamour down? It's starting to itch. It might also be a good way to determine whether or not we can trust them."_

"_Fine." _Kyla growled and Allie breathed a sigh of relief as the glamour dropped. Human ears disappearing, tail and more cat-like ears becoming visible. Cap stared, not believing his eyes. Clint caught Cap's look and stared too. Allie ignored to both of them. Kyla glared at both of them. "Got a problem?" Cap attempted to get his throat to work, he failed and looked away.

"No." Clint looked away too." Allie giggled into Ky's shoulder.

"I didn't think so." Kyla growled.

Allie poked her. "_Someone is staring at you."_

"_Who?"_ Kyla turned her head.

"_Loki."_

Kyla whipped her head to Loki, who gave her a knowing grin before returning his attention to Tony, who was currently sharing some pudding with him. _"Why?"_

"_I'm not really sure. His mind is more protected than a humans. He's a freaking god. Not surprising. He seems to know something's up though. We should also get up off the floor. Be obnoxious and ask about that experiment Dr. Banner wanted help with."_

"_I'm good at that." _Kyla smirked and Allie smiled in return before hauling herself off the floor, tail swishing for balance.

"So . . . We all good?" Tony clapped his hands together.

Allie nooded and smiled, ears twitching. "So what papers did you bring in?"

"Adoption papers." Tony grinned.

She just looked at him, startled and confused. "Y-you mean-?"

"Yep. You can be adopted by one or more, depending on your choice, of the Avengers!" Tony grinned. Allie ran up and hugged him, which was so out of character for her, that Ky was staring in shock now.

"Allie, who would you like to adopt you?" Loki asked softly.

"I - I don't know." She mumbled against Tony's shirt.

"That's fine. You don't have to decide now-"

"I call Frostiron." Kyla grinned.

Loki tilted his head. "Frostiron?"

Tony laughed nervously. "Yeah, the kids online actually call us Frostiron. Isn't that a weird name?" He rubbed the back of his head.

Loki narrowed his eyes, seeing right through the act. "You thought of that, didn't you?"

"What, no!"

"He so did." Allie spoke with a little more clarity. Kyla laughed happily. Allie laughed too, feeling comfortable enough to let go of Tony. Clint and Cap walked over.

"Allie, you know that any of us would be happy to take you under our wing." Cap spoke up for the first time in a while. Allie nodded in response, looking down.

"All of us would take care of you even though you're only the child of one of us." Natasha spoke up from behind Clint.

Allie thought about it for a moment. "W-would you do it, Clint?"

He looked at her startled. "Sure, kid. I'd be happy too." She gave him a timid smile. "Nat will be your mom, okay?"

Allie nodded. "Y-yeah." She smiled a little more strongly. Natasha smiled at her softly before hugging her. She hugged back, tail swishing happily. She started to purr, startling the master assassins.

Kyla laughed. "It's fine. She's happy." Allie purred a little louder, feeling safe and happy. Clint reached out cautiously and touched one of her ears, surprised at the feeling of it twitching under his touch. Allie purred even more in response. Kyla grinned before squeaking in surprise when Tony lifted her and squeezed her into a hug with Loki. Cap looked on awkwardly at the new families before noticing what time it was and slipping out for food.

Kyla was sleeping peacefully in her new room that was full of all of her stuff plus anything else she had needed or wanted, dreaming of the new life she would have, when she was prodded in the back. "Ky? You awake?" Allie spoke softly.

"Hm?"

"Just, um…" Allie paused. "Will they be able to find us again?" She shuddered at the memory of the banishment of their parents.

"No. You heard the others. They wouldn't let them."

"I- I know, but-"

"So they won't find us."

"But-" She looked down and curled up next to her.

"No buts."

"Okay." She whispered. Kyla stayed still. Allie fell back asleep next to her.


	2. Art Lesson

It had been a good day for Allie. Nobody at her new school picked on her, she lived at Stark Tower after all. It had only been a few weeks but, life here in New York was so much better. She missed the quietness of her hometown, but none of the people.

She had her art lesson after school today. Allie loved art. Her other parents had prevented her from doing a lot of the things she enjoyed. Her lessons were a few blocks away from the Tower, by a old lady who claimed to have lived down the street from Captain America in her youth. Allie giggled when she had the thought that the lady lived so close to him now.

Another thing Allie loved about New York was her new guardians. Both Clint and Natasha were really nice and protective. It felt nice after being stuck with the others for so long. They both felt it was really important for her to learn self defense, but they were waiting until she was a little more comfortable. Allie felt really grateful for that. Even Bruce let her come in his lab sometimes and help. She liked those afternoons almost the most, Movie Nights were a clear first. Clint and Nat wrapped her in blankets and held her between them during the scary bits. She felt safe and loved as Ky argued with her parents on the other side of the room. Most of the time, she even felt safe enough to drop the glamour on her ears and tail, the signs of a familiar. She wasn't ashamed of Ky or anything. Ky was her witch and best friend. It was more the reaction from other people that had scared Allie.

Life has been good to her. Luck on her side for once. Allie was startled out of her musings as five burly men started to follow her through the throngs of people. She pulled her sketchbook in closer to herself and scrawled a quick message in code for Ky.

As someone grabbed her from behind, she threw her sketchbook in the alley and watched as the charm on it kicked in and it became an invisible cat. She gave a quick verbal command for the cat to find Ky as the man put a funny smelling rag over her mouth. She couldn't fight the sleep that swept over her and she passed out.

Kyla looked down, surprised when she felt a cat wrap around her legs when she knew that no cat would be in the building. She smiled when she realized that it must be SketchCat. She and Allie had charmed Allie's sketchbook when they had lived back in Colorado. Ky reached down and grabbed it, speaking the charm that would make it visible and a sketchbook again, her new Papa, Loki, looking on with interest.

She blanched as she looked at the page, her expression so completely opposite from the previous small smile, it had Loki running over in seconds.

"Darling, what is it?"

"It's code." Her voice shook a little. "Allie and I created it and used SketchCat to send messages. It says that Allie was taken off the street a few blocks from here."

Loki's face grew dark. Even though he was only Ky's guardian, it didn't mean that Allie didn't matter to him. Quite the contrary. "Can SketchCat lead us back?"

"Y-yeah. Hang on." Ky mumbled the charm for Cat and Visible. SketchCat appeared in her calico form and meowed.

"Very life-like. Good job." Loki was always being surprised at their magic, learned from necessity and not from books. Allie needed some hard lessons, but they could wait until she had been found and was ready to trust again.

Loki was shaken from his musings as Ky pulled her shoes on with more force than necessary and ran to the elevator with SketchCat. He ran after her, yelling at JARVIS to contact the others and have them follow the tracker on his phone.

By the time Clint and Natasha got there, Loki and Ky had been searching the alleyway for signs of Allie for half an hour. They burst into the alley and Loki looked up. He shook his head at their questioning glances. Nat in a rare show of emotion, grabbed Clint's hand.

"When?" Clint demanded.

"About forty five minutes ago."

Nat opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by Ky's cry of frustration and the resounding crash of a trash can. They looked over.

"She didn't touch the ground after they got her. That's how SketchCat finds us."

"SketchCat?" Natasha questioned.

Ky pointed to the depressed calico at her feet. "Her sketchbook. She came and got me." Nat looked at the cat before going and picking her up and cuddling her to her chest. SketchCat gave a sad meow and settled down. "So, now what? Their presence is gone from the street and Allie never stepped into the alleyway." She looked up at Loki, pleading.

He sighed. "All we can do is wait."

Allie woke up in a daze, calm even though her brain told her that she should be panicking. She turned her head back and forth trying to get her eyes to focus. When she did, Allie wished she had just fallen asleep again.

The room was full of strange implements and machines, with sterile white walls, and thankfully for the moment, no people. Allie herself was tied down, in sports shorts and a sports bra, gagged. While she was thankful for the coverage, it exposed her scars and for some reason her glamour was gone. Ears and tail fully visible.

She turned her head as someone walked into the room and came over to her.

"Ah, you're finally awake. We were expecting to have awoken an hour ago." She blinked slowly. "At first, we were going to use you as a hostage, but then you turned into a fascinating experiment. You will not be returning home for quite a long time my dear."

Allie closed her eyes as the man started prodding around at her old wounds and scars, eliciting small noises of protest. "Do not worry, my dear. Nothing with hurt you. For now anyway."

He proceeded with his examination, taking longer than it should have because she kept flicking his tools out of his hands with her tail. Eventually he got fed up.

"That is it! I was being nice to you because you are my new test subject but you seem to take it for granted." She stared up at him defiantly, some of her personality bleeding through the meds. His response was to shove enough relaxant in her system so she couldn't move and haul her off the table and buckling a collar on her before he threw her in a cell. "Wait here, my dear. There will be some surprises for you in a few hours." He smirked then locked the door.

The Avengers gathered in the kitchen to come up with a plan. No one knew what to do, their first line had been Kyla but the mind path was obscured for some reason. Ky remembered a similar feeling when Allie had been in the hospital and on pain meds. So they knew that whoever had her, was keeping Allie drugged.

As the adults discussed plans, Ky held onto SketchCat, whom she didn't have the heart to turn back into it's book. Someone spoke to her while she was spacing off. Ky blinked.

"Repeat that?"

"Can SketchCat follow someone else's presence?" Clint's face was blank.

"No, she's tuned to the two of us. She follows the paths we have traveled. The path will wear off in a few weeks depending on the weather. Since we used to walk back and forth from each others houses, it was never a problem."

"Then how did SketchCat find you?"

"Allie gave her the command to walk straight until she ran into my path. Then she found me in the Tower. It couldn't have been more than twenty minutes."

He nodded and turned back to the adults. Ky pet Sketch a bit more and concentrated on the foggy path. She felt the soft touch of Allie's mind for a moment. "Quiet!" She yelled at the adults and they promptly shut up, letting her concentrate. Fear, discomfort, and defiance bled through the link, soft as a whisper before disappearing again. Tears sprung to her eyes. "It's gone. Damnit."

"What is?" Loki looked at her.

"The mind path. She got through for a moment." Ky rubbed at her temples. "Fear, discomfort, and defiance got through. Not much else."

They sighed in relief. "No pain?"

"No pain."

"Then she's fine for now." Cap pointed out hopefully.

Ky laughed bitterly. "Not for long. Allie is the most stubborn person I know. She won't be safe for long if she's being defiant." A small grimace passed over Nat's face before disappearing again. Clint squeezed her fingers.

"Bad side, they must have drugged her again. Worse. This time the path is even more obscure." Sketch purred in her lap. The adults tensed and went back to their speculating.

Allie hoped Sketch had found Ky. The bit of charm to send her in the right direction had been thrown together at the spur of the moment. She hoped it had worked.

She was thinking about Ky when the guy came back for her, she turned her head in the direction of the door, but couldn't do much else.

"Still under the influence, my dear? Well aren't you the naughty girl." He chuckled. She growled low in her throat. "Oh, now don't be like that. Just wait until you see your present." She whined, unable to stop him as he drug her to a new room full of new devices. Her eyes widened as her sloggy brain recognized some of them from a paper she wrote a few years ago. The man laughed. "I see you know what will happen. I think we will have some fun."

Allie fought the meds, straining for freedom. He again laughed at her pathetic struggling. "No, my dear. You get to stay here." He wrapped chains around her wrists and ankles, attaching a heavy chain to the collar still around her neck. He then yanked a lever that pulled the chain around her neck and wrists up, making her stand only with their support, still unable to control her own muscles.

In a panic, she reached for the mind path to Ky. Hoping she would get her message as the man came towards her with some of the shiny implements from around the room.

She screamed.

Kyla jolted up from her nap and started sobbing, surprising everyone in the room. Tony ran over and started combing his fingers through her hair. It had been a few days since she had last felt anything through the link, but they had kept searching. This time must have been bad.

"Kyla, sweetheart, what happened?"

"She got through. It's so bad." She started sobbing into his shirt as the others diverted their eyes. "She's scared. And-" her voice broke. "The _pain._ Oh, god, I couldn't imagine." Ky gripped Tony's shirt in her fists.

Clint hugged Nat close.

"But, I know where she is."

After days alone with the man, Allie no longer knew up from down. After their last session, the man had put her on this fan thing that kept her suspended off the ground - one of her greatest fears. The door opened slowly as the man walked in and put more meds in her bloodstream.

"You've got a wonderful treat today, my dear."

She grunted, gag still in place. The man had only removed it for short periods of time to shove bland food and water down her throat.

The man laughed, just like he always did. "I'm afraid our time together has been cut short. This will be our last day together." Allie was so far gone, she couldn't interpret his words. So, he used the chains and hung her from the ceiling, eagle spread and neck collar fastened to the wall.

He pulled on her torso until an arm came out of it's socket and she screamed. "So, you are awake." He smiled. "Good."

He evacuated an hour later, leaving her hanging there, with freshly burnt feet so she couldn't run.

The Avengers found the small facility in the countryside of Ohio without too much difficulty. JARVIS couldn't sense too many heat signs, so they went inside to find the place deserted. Ky ran in not too long after them, ignoring their orders to go back outside and set Sketch down. Ky gave the command to find and then all of them were racing after Sketch, who was desperate to find her owner.

The sight that awaited them, was too horrible to put into words.

Allie hung from chains around her wrists, ankles, and neck, one arm clearly dislocated, and a broken leg. Several of her old wounds were weeping blood, her stomach was all one big bruise, and she was horribly thin. Her face was pale, with tear tracks down her cheeks, as her ears and tail drooped, blood matting the fur.

Everyone froze. Clint and Natasha ran forward, Nat shooting at the chain anchors, with Clint catching her as she fell. Allie screamed as her feet touched the floor, Ky doubling over as pain burst through the mind path. Loki grabbed for her and lifted her up, holding Ky close to his chest. He murmured soothing words in her hair as he put a small sleep charm on her, holding her closer as she fell limp in his arms.

Bruce was already bandaging the worst of Allie's wounds when he looked spoke up, "She will need a hospital. I can't tell if there is any internal bleeding."

Natasha sighed from where she was seated, whispering in Allie's ear. "Lets just get her home."

Allie woke up in a panic, laying down with a tube down her throat was not the best return to consciousness. She thrashed about, eyes unseeing as Clint did his best to hold her down. "Allie? C'mon Allie you're safe. You are with the Avengers, your family, shhh. Your okay, you are in the hospital wing. Shhh, darling."

Allie slowly stopped struggling and looked at Clints face, not sure if she was dreaming or not.

Clint ran his hands through her hair, avoiding her damaged ears. "You're safe, Allie-cat."

She gasped and started to sob, finally believing him. Clint gently pulled her up to his chest and rubbed her mostly undamaged back soothingly. "Shhh, Allie-cat. You're okay now. You're safe."

"Sir, the others are on their way."

"Thanks, JARVIS."

"My pleasure, sir."

The others burst into the room, causing Allie to squeak and bury her face in Clint's chest. Ky ran to the bed and grabbed Allie's hand, weeping with relief as the mind path opened clearly for the first time in over a week.

"_Missed you, Al."_

"_Wasn't my choice to leave."_

Ky smiled. _"Well, you're back home with us now."_

"_Yeah." _Allie yawned, the emotions taking a toll.

"Back to sleep, Allie-cat. We'll be here."

She fell asleep, assured of the safety she felt in her family's arms.

Healing had been a long process, but Allie could finally move about in a clunky boot by herself. The fur on her ears and tail had grown back white over the scars, which had startled everyone. What kind of black cat had white fur? Ky had shrugged and called her unique, which had made her feel better, but she still wondered.

"Miss? Are you all right? Would you like me to call someone?" JARVIS's voice surprised her a little.

She took a deep breath, "No, JARVIS. I'm fine." And she knew she would be eventually.


	3. Magic Lesson

Allie was sitting on the couch reading a book and enjoying the freedom of finally having the boot off. "Allie?" Loki approached her a little cautiously, like everyone else.

"Yes?" She looked up.

"I was wondering if you would like some magic lessons."

"Familiars don't have magic."

"Normally, that is true. But, human familiars are extremely rare and very little is know about them. Even to the Aesir."

"Then why would you think I would have my own magic?" She asked, confused.

"Sketch. When you were... taken, you charmed Sketch to walk in one direction until she could find Kyla. That charm wasn't in her original spell. It was something you did."

"Umm, can I think about it?"

"Of course." He bowed a little and walked back out of the room. Allie tried to go back to her book, but her concentration was shot. She got up and went to find Ky instead. Kyla didn't look up from her laptop when Allie snuck into her room and curled up next to her on the bean bags littering her floor. She played games on her phone until Ky paused in her typing.

"Did Papa talk to you?"

"Yeah."

"So…?"

Allie fiddled with her phone a little. "Do you really think I have my own magic?"

Ky gave her a stern look. "Why wouldn't you?"

"I'm your familiar. Familiars don't have their own magic."

"Well, you do."

"But if familiars don't have magic, then why should I?"

"I think it's because you're human. You are a little more aware of your surroundings than most familiars."

"But-."

Ky grabbed Allie's face and looked her straight into her wide eyes. "If you knew your magic, you wouldn't have been hurt when the evil man took you from me. We cannot let that happen again. You must learn to use whatever magic you have so you stay safe."

Tears sprung to Allie's eyes and she gripped her friend in a tight hug. "Okay. I'll do it." By the time Allie made it down to the Green Room, Loki was already there with Tony and Ky. She walked in nervously and stood close to one of the walls.

"Allie! There you are!" Tony was very energetic for so early in the morning, how unusual. She looked at him, a little startled. "We chose to have your lesson here because it's the safest part of the building. Not that I would expect you to blow anything up; you're too quiet for that."

She giggled, interrupting him. "Did you not look at the experiment that won the contest in the first place?" Tony looked confused. "We blew up some stuff and I explained why."

"Oh." Tony blinked and Allie giggled again.

"Tony, we need to have our lesson." Loki said impatiently.

"Ah, yes." He left and Loki turned to her.

"Since we don't know much about your magic, we will start with the basics." He gestured for her to sit with him on the floor. She sat across from him. "We'll try something small first." Hours passed and Allie couldn't complete any of the tasks Loki had given her plus, she was exhausted. Allie flopped down onto the mats, breathing heavily after the last exercise. Loki looked at her, "The point of that was to snuff out the candle without blowing on it."

"Well, it didn't work that way, did it?" Ky looked at Allie, surprised because she never sounded that sassy.

"You will have to keep trying."

"But," She sat up. "You guys always described magic as something that felt right, easy, a part of yourself. This doesn't feel right."

"Yes, because it is new to you."

"But, I've been around magic for years and it never felt this way."

"Let's try something else, then."

"Like what?"

"It could be that you are not strong in fire spells. We shall try water next." All that did was cause everyone to get wet.

"Earth magic." Even Allie's stubbornness couldn't move that rock.

"Air." Air really didn't like Allie. It blew her over and escaped.

"This really isn't working." She got a drink from her water bottle, hand trembling from exertion.

"_Something _has too."

"But this doesn't feel right."

Loki threw his hands in the air. "I really don't know."

"I think it's _because_ I'm a familiar."

Loki looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"Well, familiars exist to help their witch or wizard, yes?" He nodded. "What if my magic helps Ky with hers. Small things that would make her spells easier."

"That could work. But it is an experiment for another time."

Allie yawned and nodded. "Okay." She got up slowly and headed up to the commons room before she passed out next to Clint, head on his thigh, as he played Mario Kart with Steve. He looked at her startled.

"Allie-cat?" She didn't respond. He chuckled. "Must have worn her out." He reached down and stroked her head, still beating Steve with one hand. She purred, feeling safe.

The next day, they did find that Allie was helping Ky with her magic all along. She just hadn't noticed. When she put forth the conscious effort, their spells became that much more powerful. And dangerous.

As the weeks passed, they figured out how not to blow each other up, much to the relief of everyone else.

"Now that I have a better understanding of magic, do you think that I could try something of my own?"

"Worth trying anyway."

Life became so much better for Allie as her magic improved. She couldn't do large or medium spells by herself but it was little things counted in the end anyway. Allie loved the fact that she was so much more independent and the Avengers let her leave the Tower by herself again.

Allie was happier than she had ever been.


	4. Lesson in Panic

Clint landed the plane on the roof Sunday night to a big surprise.

Allie happily skipped inside, carrying her backpack.

"Geez, Allie-cat. You don't have to be so excited to leave us." Clint mock pouted.

Allie dropped her stuff and turned to face him, a pitiful look on her face with ears and tail drooping. "But Clint, I only want a real shower…" She stuck her lip out. He laughed and scooped her up and tickled her as she squeaked with laughter, Natasha just rolled her eyes and ignored them, fond smile visible on her face.

"You two are ridiculous."

"But you love us!" They said in tandem. Allie grinned at her, hanging upside down from Clint's shoulder. Natasha shook her head and smiled. Clint just tickled Allie some more, her laughter ringing through the halls.

Which were empty.

Allie looked up as the suddenly stern Clint set her gently on the ground as he and Natasha went for their weapons.

They left her with a gun next to the doors as they checked for the others. She sat there, playing with a StarkPad to find JARVIS.

"Jarvis?"

"Ah, hello Miss. How was your trip?"

"Story for another time. Where is everyone?"

"I… Do not know."

"Great." She facepalmed. "Tell my parents that the building is clear, if it is."

"They have been alerted, Miss Allie."

"Uh huh." She acknowledged before turning back to the StarkPad, looking through the available video footage.

"Found anything?" Clint slunk back into the room.

"No." A frown was forming on her face. "Because there isn't anything." Her soft voice rough with frustration, echoed lowly through the room. Videos flashed across the screen.

Steve pounding a punching bag to sand.

Loki reading in the library.

Tony and Kyla blowing stuff up in the lab.

Bruce studying something in his lab.

Thor watching some My Little Pony in the commons area.

Allie smiled sadly at the footage. Natasha walked back in the room carrying a bag. "Pack up, sweetie. We are going to the Helicarrier."

"The Helicarrier?" She squeaked. Natasha walked over and grabbed her up in a hug.

"You'll be safe. We won't let anything happen. And we will locate the others." Allie nodded numbly, the panic of the situation not registering yet.

Clint picked up the bag and headed back out to the plane. "I'll let them know."

Allie let go of Natasha and stumbled to her room, grabbing fresh clothes, toiletries, and one of Ky's sweatshirts before heading back up to the roof and climbing into the plane. Natasha squeezed her shoulder reassuringly before heading up to the cockpit and giving Clint the signal to launch.

Being on the Helicarrier was frightening. Agents of all sorts either looked at her with contempt or fear, depending on how high their clearance level was. She spent most of her few days searching with tech teams for the Avengers or with Fury or Coulson if Clint and Natasha were out doing recon. Allie hated being stared at and kept her glamour up all of the time. Too many variables.

On the fifth day, they had a lead. By the sixth day, the three of them went out to infiltrate Hammer Tech.

Natasha went first through the halls, kicking all of Hammer's guards in the face. Allie slunk through behind her, taking down Hammer's pathetic security system. As soon as they got far enough into the compound, Allie dug deep into her magic to connect to Ky. She directed Nat down the hallways that lead to Ky.

They stopped their frantic search down a white corridor, doors lining the wall. Ten of them.

Allie growled and drew upon the little magic she had to blow up each of the locks. Natasha went into the rooms on the left. Allie took the ones on the right.

Room 1: Cap. Allie ran into the room. Seeing Cap awake she grinned before going to the control panel and releasing the lock on his restraints. She yelled at him to follow before running to the next room.

Room 2: Bruce. She burst inside and ripped out the IV keeping him doped. She shouted for Cap before waving at him as she ran out to the next room.

Room 3: Thor. Thor was being kept under some sort of shield that Allie deactivated as she hit the big red button next to the door. He got up, stumbling as if the shield had been draining him somehow. She called for Cap to come help him as he got out of his room.

Room 4: Loki. Loki's room was similar to Bruce's as he was kept restrained and on powerful drugs. She released him and left the door open as she ran out to the next room in the hallway.

Room 5: Tony. Tony was out of it. He looked up at her as she snuck into his room and undid the chains holding him against the wall. As he turned his head, Allie saw the wound that had obviously given him a concussion. She yelled for Loki before leaving him secure on the floor, leaning against the wall.

Room 6: Kyla. As soon as Allie ran through the final door in the hallway, she saw red and yowled so loudly, even the dead shook with fear.

Clint raced through the winding hallways, having broken free of the spell first. The other Avengers were limping through the hall towards the door, he had almost run them over. They yelled after him but Clint was too focused on the origin of the noise that he hadn't paid them any mind. He heard the echo of scraping claws on tile and headed towards it.

In a small room that functioned as a bedroom, behind a broken door, lay Kyla on a cot. The blood trail suggested that she had been carried here somehow. He examined the room before entering, a giant bloody paw print catching his eye just outside the door.

He stopped and called Nat. "Hey, Tash. You may want to see this…"

"What is it?"

"I'm not sure. Is Bruce up yet?"

"Yes."

"Bring him."

"Alright."

That taken care of, Clint turned back to the room in front of him and watched. A few seconds later, growling could be heard behind him. He turned slowly.

A giant panther with white stripes was crouched behind him. Clint froze.

The panther leaped at him as he ducked underneath the giant paws. It turned to face him again. Clint turned to run the other direction and it began to follow him.

Kyla chose that moment to whimper, causing the giant cat to turn and run back to the room. As it ran Clint saw a familiar pattern in the thin stripes of white fur along the length of it's back. Allie's scars.

Oh, shit.

"Nat!"

"Clint? What's going on? Banner and I are almost to your location."

"I found Kyla."

"Then what's the problem?"

"The giant panther guarding her."

Nat paused "The what now?"

"There is a giant panther guarding the room."

Nat walked up behind him. "What are you talking about, Clint?"

He sighed. "I followed the strange sound down here. At the end of the hallway a door got smashed in by something big. I glimpsed inside and saw Ky on a cot in there. Then I got attacked by a big panther. As I was trying to save my ass, Ky made a noise drawing the panther to her." Clint got out his phone and showed her the picture he managed to get. "The white fur on it's back looks similar to Allie's scars."

"Oh my god. The panther is Allie!?" Nat looked up at him, surprised.

Bruce spoke up. "Did you find any evidence of shredded clothes?" Clint shook his head. "Then how can we be sure?"

"We'll just have to go check."

Clint lead them down the hallway, Natasha supporting Bruce and Clint walking ahead with a stun arrow loaded. He turned the corner to find the panther sitting there. He drew the string back and waited for the animal to make a move. It got up slowly and went to nudge Bruce's hand before walking back to the room.

"I'd guess she's coming to a little."

"I'm going to follow her." Bruce stumbled after the pacing panther, who was glancing back to check on him. Clint and Nat followed them, far enough away to not seem as much as a threat. Eventually, they made it back down the small room with the cot. The panther (Allie?) climbed carefully onto the bed, close to the wall. Bruce inched towards the bed, being carefully watched by the panther.

"Do you want me to check on her? I'm not a medical doctor, but with these idiots I have plenty of practice." Clint started to protest, Nat glared and he shut up. The panther glared at the pair of assassins and let Bruce slowly approach. He did a quick exam, explaining everything as he went. He looked back up at the large amber eyes watching him.

"I can't do much from here. Can we move her up to the jet where I can help?" The cat seemed to ponder his request for a moment before getting up. Nat pulled Bruce out of the way and started back through the hallways, the cat carrying Kyla following the trio of Avengers.

As they finished the trek to the jet, the other Avengers stood and watched in awe as the panther carried Kyla to the jet, growling slightly but following Bruce somewhat team quietly got the jet prepared for lift off.

They flew in silence, the only noise was the mobile heart monitor and the panther's steady breathing.

When Kyla woke up in the medical wing, Bruce was standing over her bed. He smiled at her. "Welcome back."

Kyla groaned. "How long have I been out?"

"Too long for my liking." Loki murmured as he brushed her hair back and Tony held her hand.

"Three days now. Allie's been very protective, she hasn't left the room yet."

Kyla glanced around. "Where is she now?"

"Under the bed."

Kyla tried to peer under the bed only to have Loki and Tony push her gently back into the bed. "You need to rest."

"I've rested for three days! I think I've rested enough!" Kyla protested. A low growl permeated the room, signifying that Allie had awaken. Bruce stiffened and inched away from the bed, not wanting to damage the tenuous agreement he and Allie seemed to have reached. "Is Allie in her other form?" Kyla inquired.

"Yes." Loki murmured. Allie smoothly crawled out from the under the bed and sat down, placing her head next to Ky's hand. Kyla nodded and pet Allie gently. Bruce ushered the other adults out of the room, leaving the witch and familiar in peace.

"Hey." Kyla murmured. Allie nudged her hand with her nose and turned her large amber eyes on her friend, questioning and scared. "What? I'm fine." Allie looked up pleadingly at her and scratched her ear. "You want up?" Allie shook her head and nudged Ky's temple with her nose. "I'm fine, Al." She scratched behind her ears. Allie purred and used the opportunity to try and open the mind path, but failed. She whined. Kyla rolled her eyes before opening the path. Allie's mind was swirling with panic and confusion. She looked up at Ky with her large amber eyes pleading for answers. Kyla frowned and rubbed Allie's back soothingly. "Hey, it's okay, Al. We're safe." She murmured. Allie just jumped up on the bed, careful of the IV in Ky's other arm, and curled up next to her friend. "We'll be just fine." She murmured and closed her eyes.


End file.
